


putting on the ritz

by frankenvenus



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Ambiguous time setting, F/F, Fluff, Lesbian realisation, Pianist Crystal, Strangers to Lovers, Very loosely inspired by La La Land
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:14:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25175989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frankenvenus/pseuds/frankenvenus
Summary: Crystal is working her evening shift as a pianist in a fancy restaurant when she notices a woman who’s far too pretty for the frown she’s wearing.
Relationships: Gigi Goode/Crystal Methyd
Comments: 22
Kudos: 76





	putting on the ritz

**Author's Note:**

> hi i’ve had this idea for a couple weeks now and sorry it’s taken so long to finally post!
> 
> it’s super late and i had to edit this on my phone cause my wifi broke on my laptop so i’m sorry if there are errors. i tried my best and my beta was busy graduating today lmaooo they couldn’t help me unfortunately.
> 
> also a slight trigger warning for the word queer? it’s not used in a derogatory way at all but i think it can be a triggering word? i don’t know.

Crystal fumbled with the many sheets she had laid out in front of her on the oak music stand. Each sheet had a myriad of scribbled notes on them to mark changes in tempo, volume and so on. Although she noted them down herself, she never followed them. For the most part, she didn’t follow her assigned music. She would be handed a waltz and suddenly transition into a jazz piece subconsciously, only stopping when the manager furiously waved her down from the bar.

The Friday night was in full swing as she pulled her stool back, placing herself in front of the perfectly kept Bösendorfer piano that she was so blessed to be able to play every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. She had a piano at home, but it wasn’t nearly as good. She used it for practice mostly, but when she was working, she’d put on a show. Fifteen dollars a night for a hard-working pianist was outrageously low, but she enjoyed the opportunity to play in front of wealthy people more than she enjoyed the prospect of money in her pocket. 

Her tanned hands placed themselves over the cold ivory - so polished that the reflection of her digits was visible in the white - and she began to play. The first song on her list from her manager was _À la manière de Borodine_ by Maurice Ravel; a short fast-paced waltz, that she then transitioned into the second song, _Bethena,_ a ragtime waltz written by composer Scott Joplin.

Whilst she played, the redhead took in her surroundings. There was a group of four women who were sitting together celebrating what seemed like an engagement. One of the women looked about thirty, and she kept flashing a sparkling diamond ring that kept distracting Crystal from her instrument. When the women’s chatter turned to gossip, the redhead decided that it wasn’t for her ears. She looked elsewhere, spotting two men sitting together in a far corner of the restaurant.

One of the men looked extremely young, his hair slicked back with wax and a pencil moustache sat just above his thin lips. His expression seemed deep with deliberation as if the second man was trying to sell him something. The second man looked like a money lender. His baldness glowed under the chandelier lighting and he kept pointing his finger in the younger man’s face quite aggressively. Crystal again looked away, now reverting her focus back to the keys.

The next song on her list was _Valse romantique_ which was _always_ on her list and she _always_ resented playing it. She played the first few bars but ultimately gave up and decided to take things in her own direction, beginning to play _Misty_ by Erroll Garner, a classical romantic-sounding jazz tune. That song was one of the songs she would get into thoroughly, aggressively pushing down the keys.

Then - all of a sudden - a lady caught her eye. 

A single table separated the woman’s table and the grand piano, and the woman sat there with a cigarette and a look of frustration. Her brow was furrowed and her lip was pouted, and Crystal nearly tipped backwards on her seat at how overwhelmingly beautiful she was.

Her blonde hair was styled in pin curls, held back with a silver hair clip. Crystal could smell the thick wafts of hairspray from meters away, and she was in awe of it. The woman was wearing a ravishing white dress with a sultry cut at the leg. The only thing that would make her even more gorgeous would be if she didn’t look so glum.

“Methyd! Get back on list! Don’t make me have to tell you again!” Crystal’s manager yelled, snapping the gazing woman out of her thoughts. She played the boring waltzes once again, trying not to stare at the woman so hard that her eyes popped from their sockets. 

She watched as the woman continuously glanced between the clock and her own watch, her face filled with discontent. Crystal stole a glimpse at her own watch, realising that her break had just begun. Usually, during her break, she’d grab a drink from the bar and wind down for fifteen minutes - relaxing her fingers from their constant movement - but today she switched it up. The look of frustration from the woman meters away was turning into one of hurt, and Crystal - being the tremendous empath that she was - decided to approach her.

“Hello?” the blonde raised a brow when she noticed Crystal sauntering over.

“Hi. I’m Crystal. I’m the pianist here. I couldn’t help but notice you look rather down and I’m on my break right now so if you need someone to talk to...”

The woman looked at her quizzically, before pushing the chair opposite her with her foot so Crystal could sit.

“I was stood up,” the woman said nonchalantly. Crystal watched as the woman’s tongue licked over her pearly whites. It must’ve been a habit, but it made the redhead’s insides warm. “I had a date. With a man,” she continued, “And he was due to arrive twenty-five minutes ago. I said I’d give him half an hour before going home.”

The redhead frowned and placed her hand over the woman’s, which was gloved with white silk.

“I couldn’t imagine standing up someone as beautiful as you.”

“It was a blind date. My friend from work set it up. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

“I bet he was just as ugly as every other man here.”

“Perhaps,” the woman pursed her lips before taking a sip from her drink. Crystal noticed the blonde’s eyes scan over her, a twinkle in her eye that the redhead couldn’t quite place. “You have some skill with that piano, you know. You should take it on tour. Don’t restrain yourself to a dump like this place.”

Crystal blushed, crossing her legs under the table, “No one wants to see a lady play piano.”

“You’re damn better than most of the men I’ve heard play.”

Crystal’s lips curled up into a smirk, her own chocolate eyes staring deep into the woman opposite her’s sparkling blue ones. “Let me buy you a drink.”

“Already have one.”

“Another? I get free drinks here. Pianist privilege.”

The blonde took a final sip of the white wine in her hand before placing it down, “Yes please. A Tom Collins, thanks.”

“Oh, wait-.” Crystal began.

“-What’s your name?”

“Genevive Goode, but call me Gigi. And you are?”

“Crystal. Crystal Methyd. I’ll be right back.”

Crystal winked at the blonde before walking to the bar at the end of the room, slipping onto a leather stool and giving her order. Whilst she waited, she admired Gigi from behind. The woman was extremely petite. Her waist was small and accentuated the curve of her hips. What a shame such a pretty lady was only in her presence at the expense of a lousy man.

The bartender slid the drinks across the oak counter, Crystal flashed a small smile, before heading back to her and Gigi’s small table.

“Here, m’lady,” the redhead grinned, placing the cocktail in front of the beautiful blonde. “Now, tell me about yourself, miss Goode.”

 _“Well-.”_ Gigi inhaled.

“-I work for my mother as a seamstress. She has her own business. Mostly making wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses, etcetera. I live alone under the constant pressure of my best friends to enter a relationship with a nice man when in truth I prefer my own company over anyone else’s.”

The redhead chuckled, “What a life.”

“I wouldn’t call it a life. I’m barely living. Just sort of floating through my years.”

“Do you have any ambitions, Gigi?”

“I have a default answer, but I also have a truthful answer-.” she sighed. 

“-My mother wants me to fill her shoes when she gets too old, but I want to style for magazines. I want to design. I want to see _my_ dresses on _Vogue.”_

Crystal tutted and placed her drink - a beer - down on the table gently, wiping her lip of the cold liquid, “Just styling? Honey, you should be _modelling_ for Vogue.”

“You think?”

“Mhm. You’re gorgeous.”

“Thank you. Really-.” Gigi was blushing. Hard. 

“-I could say the same for you.”

“Thank you, miss Goode,” the redhead gulped under Gigi’s blue gaze. She felt rather insecure in her dark green suit.

To take her mind off the shift in mood, she glanced at the clock.

”Shit-.” she muttered.

“-My break is about to end. Let me go use the restroom. I'm so sorry.”

As she stood up, Gigi gently grabbed her wrist.

”Wait. Give me your telephone number. I'm going to leave but, I'd like to see you again, Crystal-.” she said softly.

“-I’d _really_ like to.”

The redhead cracked a smile before grabbing a pen from on top of the piano and scribbling down her phone number on a napkin, pushing it into Gigi’s frail, porcelain hands. 

“There you go. I’ll see you again Gigi.”

“I sure hope so.”

Then Gigi left, the scent of her rose perfume lingering around the grand piano long after her exit.

.

It was Tuesday night when Gigi finally called. 

Crystal was relaxing in the bath, listening to music whilst her cat perched itself on the sink. 

She almost flooded the bathroom with the splash she made after hearing the phone ring because - the truth was - she had been waiting to hear it ring all weekend. She had even gone so far as to place the telephone in the bathroom whilst she was bathing, _just_ in case a call came through.

“Hello?” she squeaked, hoping whoever sat on the other line couldn’t hear the sound of her splashing around. 

_“Is this Crystal Methyd?”_

Crystal knew the voice. It was _her._

“Yes. Gigi, is that you?”

_“Yes! Ugh, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all weekend!”_

“What do you mean? I haven’t had any calls.”

_“You see, I just realised the double one in your number is actually a double two. You write your twos all weird.”_

“Maybe you are just illiterate,” Crystal giggled, twirling a red curl around her finger and watching whilst her cat groomed itself with its paw in front of her.

Gigi chuckled in response, causing Crystal to lean back into her bubble bath blissfully. The blonde’s laugh was a sound she could get used to.

 _”I’m actually sort of glad I only figured out your number now,”_ the blonde said nonchalantly.

The redhead sat up again, confused, “Why?” she wondered.

_”It gave me time to do some research.”_

_”Research?_ On what?”

_”On you, miss Methyd._

Crystal squinted her eyes, deciding to get out of the bath, disregarding the care for Gigi hearing the sound of the water. Now she was anxious.

The redhead stared at herself in the mirror for a second, phone tucked under her chin. She heard shuffling around from the other line, and her own lips parted before she finally managed to speak.

“What did you- uh what did you find? About me?”

_”Well, you see, I have this friend. Jaida. That’s her name. She’s very active in the underground bar scene. You know, with queer people and such-.”_

Crystal suddenly felt faint. Gigi continued.

_“-And I remember her coming back from a bar about six months ago, gushing over a curly-haired pianist who kept getting yelled at for going off tracklist.”_

The redhead placed her hand on the cold sink to steady herself, “Where are you going with this, Gigi?”

_”Are you queer, Crystal? Do you like women?”_

“Uh, yes. I do. I’m a lesbian.”

Crystal wasn’t sure what she was expecting the blonde to respond with. If she was being honest, she didn’t expect her to respond at all. She prepared herself to be hung up on, but instead, she heard something that almost rolled her eyes into the back of her head.

_”I think I- I think I am one too.”_

“Oh, Gigi…”

She heard sniffling from the other side of the line.

_”It has always been a thought in the back of my mind, but I guess I never really knew enough about the whole thing to be sure. But now I’m quite sure. And it makes sense. Most of my friends are gay. I don’t know how I didn’t realise sooner…”_

Crystal felt her heart swell. She wrapped her towel around herself and carried the phone out of the bathroom and into her bedroom where she began to dry off.

“And how are you feeling? Are you okay?” she questioned, recalling how painful it was to come to terms with her own sexuality.

 _”Yeah, actually. I am,”_ Gigi almost whispered through the line.

A thought popped into Crystal’s head. It was brief, but she dwelled on it. She tapped her fingers against her leg, still lightly dripping with bath water, before deciding to voice her idea.

“Do you want to, maybe, come over to my place? I can cook you dinner or something?”

 _”Yeah. I'd love that-.”_ Gigi squealed.

_”-I'd love that a lot. Let me write down your address and I'll get the first bus there!”_

The redhead gave the younger woman her address with little hesitance and mentally calculated how much makeup she’d be able to put on before the woman arrived.

She dried her red curls and tied them into two pigtails that stuck out either side of her face. She put on some raspberry tinted lip balm, blush, mascara and enough brow product to cover the small scar in her brow from when she hit her head as a child. It was one of her many insecurities.

Just as she threw a final bead necklace over her red sundress, she heard a few knocks from her door.

Her cat was the first to react, hopping down from its position on Crystal’s windowsill towards the front door, mewling in anticipation.

“Tic tac, that’s dog behaviour! Move out the way so I can let Gigi in!” she whined, gently kicking the tabby cat in the opposite direction from the door, before reaching for the handle.

She had never seen a smile as bright as the one Gigi sported when she first opened the door on anyone but herself. The blonde was wearing a beautiful green gingham dress and she had her hair down and uncurled. Her face was bare of the intricate makeup she had worn during their first meeting, and the redhead was blown away with the prospect that someone’s natural lips could be so _pink_. Crystal wanted to reach out and touch.

“What’s shakin’ bacon?” Gigi winked, air kissing Crystal on each cheek. 

Suddenly, the blonde pushed past the older girl and practically pranced on Tic Tac, instantly moving to caress his fur.

“He doesn’t normally like strangers-.” Crystal’s words faded into nothingness as Tic Tac began to purr loudly, dragging his body across Gigi’s pale ankles.

“Well he sure likes me,” the blonde smirked, standing up again.

Her and Crystal were suddenly closer than either of them realised. Their noses were mere inches from brushing.

“So, what did you cook for me?” Gigi asked, relieving the tension - however only on her part.

“Oh fuck. I completely forgot… I spent so long drying my hair and making myself look pretty I didn’t have time…” Crystal began to panic, but Gigi quickly cut her off.

“Don’t worry. We can get some food delivered!”

“Yeah. Yeah that’s a good idea-.” the redhead exhaled.

“-I have a drawer of restaurant pamphlets beside my bed. What are you feeling like?”

“Thai, maybe?” Gigi pondered, “Ramen?”

Crystal smiled and ushered Gigi to take a seat in the living room whilst she grabbed the pamphlet from her bedroom. 

The blonde took her time admiring Crystal’s decor whilst she waited. There were a _lot_ of images of women on the walls - only few of them appropriately clothed.

“Peculiar interior design you have here, Methyd,” Crystal heard Gigi call from the other room. She smirked before replying;

“Don’t you just love staring at women, though?”

“True.”

Crystal entered the living room with a leaflet in one hand and a bottle of rosé in the other.

“Some wine for m’lady?” she offered,, grabbing a glass and handing it to the blonde. 

“Why thank you,” she grinned, watching the redhead pour the sparkling peachy liquid into her glass. She instantly raised the glass to her lips, breathing through her nose. “I feel so comfortable here.” 

Crystal raised a brow, “Well, you’re welcome over whenever you like. I rarely get company.”

Gigi hummed in response.

After ten minutes of chatter over one another’s occupation and other useless things, Crystal dialed up the Thai restaurant and placed her and Gigi’s orders. The blonde ordered some miso-glazed ramen whilst the redhead ordered cod mokutan soba teppanyaki. 

It took forty-five minutes to arrive, and soon the two women were sat on Crystal’s couch with steaming plates in their laps, thighs touching, watching _The Twilight Zone_ on television.

“Would they not have been able to feel their skin merge into the mask as the hours ticked by?” Crystal observed, her eyes fixated on the screen and her mouth full of noodles. 

“It’s a fantasy anthology show, Crystal. It isn’t _supposed_ to be realistic!”

“Whatever.”

There was silence whilst they indulged in their meals, the screams on the television filling the room.

When Gigi finished her food, she placed it down on the coffee table, before shifting her body to face Crystal with a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

“What?” Crystal chirped, feeling her face heat up under the woman’s gaze.

“I’ve been eyeing up your piano all night-.” the blonde grinned.

“-Play for me.”

The redhead groaned, “I’m tired, Gigi.”

Then, the blonde pushed her lower lip out in a pout, “Please.”

Heat pooled between Crystal’s legs as she finally gave in to the younger woman’s plea. She placed her empty dish on the coffee table, wiped her hands down and sat down by her white Casio grand piano. 

“What do you want me to play?” 

_”Anything.”_

Crystal shut her eyes and took in a sharp breath before moving her hands into position to play _Mére bien-aimée_ a mellow tune composed by Céline Aubin.

The music flowed from Crystal’s fingertips effortlessly. She knew the chord progression by heart, so all it took was good memory to place her fingers in the right place at the right time.

She was nervous, unable to see Gigi’s face and the reaction to her music. She didn’t think Gigi would be one to judge, but Crystal always carried a slight insecurity over the quality of her own skill, despite having worked at it for nearly twenty-four years. 

The song ended after what felt like hours to Crystal. She stretched her fingers once completed, and turned around fearfully to hear what Gigi thought.

What she wasn’t expecting when she turned around was to feel soft lips pressed against her own and a cold pale hand cupping her jaw. 

Gigi was kissing her.

As soon as she realised what was happening, she kissed back.

The kiss started gentle - cautious, even. This was completely unfamiliar territory for Gigi, and it wasn’t something Crystal did often. Then it became hot and deep. Crystal melted into the blonde’s touch as Gigi licked into her mouth feverishly. Gigi let out a moan, and Crystal bit down onto her lower lip in response. 

They pulled away, Crystal’s teeth still attached to Gigi’s puffy lip until the last second. Their faces were so close, and Crystal stood up off her stool so they could be even closer. 

They kissed again.

Crystal kissed Gigi from her jaw to her neck, sucking at pulse points until the latter became a whimpering mess. The redhead’s makeup was ruined, but that was the last thing on her mind at that moment. Her hand brushed up Gigi’s thigh and under her dress, cupping her through her underwear.

“Can you feel how much I want you?” Gigi asked, eyes hooded and blissfully watery as she pulled away from the second kiss.

“Fuck, Gigi,” Crystal breathed, “Let me make love to you.”

_”Please.”_

.

It was eleven in the evening, and the world was quiet. Gigi was half asleep, fucked out, wrapped in Crystal’s blankets, but the redhead was very much awake. 

The room smelt like roses, clean cotton and sex. Crystal’s eyes were fixated on the wooden ceiling fan, the way it’s breeze blew on Gigi’s hair gently. One of her tanned legs lay on top of Gigi’s porcelain hips, and the other remained tucked beneath the duvet. 

The blonde suddenly moved, snuggling her face into Crystal’s chest more, making sleepy whimpers and sounds.

“Wanna stay like this forever,” Gigi whispered, dozing off before Crystal was able to answer.

The redhead placed a gentle kiss on her nose before falling into slumber herself. 

What followed was the greatest night sleep of her life, and the ethereal smile that greeted her in the morning was the cherry on top.

**Author's Note:**

> hi i just want to remind you that black lives matter and black trans lives matter. please find the black lives matter carrd with ways you can help support the movement. use your voice. contact your local mp/ senator whatever. demand justice.


End file.
